Office



(No Model.)

,I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.,

S. LAWSON.

GAS ENGINE.

No. 399,907. Patented MELT-'19, 1889.

N. Prrzns. Phoio-U'hognpher. Wcshinglon, n. c.

- (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

s. LAWSON.

GAS ENGINE.

No. 399,907. Patented Mar. 19, 1889.

N. PETERS. PhuwLimo m hm. Waihinglun. D. C.

I UNITED rains ATENT FFICE.

SAMUEL LAIVSON, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND ALONZO T. \VELOH, OF SAME PLACE.

GAS-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 899,907, dated March 19, 1889. Application filed February 6, 1888. Serial No. 263,140. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL LAWSON, of the city and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Gas-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

In my present improvements I make use of two cylinders and their pistons connected to one crank-shaft, the cranks being nearly in line with each other, and the air and gas are admitted to the two cylinders by one valve, and the exhaust-openings are provided with valves that are controlled separately, and after the explosion takes place in the two cylinders and the pistons rise to the top the 1110- Inentum of the fly-wheel causes the pistons to descend and force out the resultant gases through the discharge-valves, both of which are open, and the pistons again ascend to draw in the mixture of air and gas into both the cylinders, and the discharge-valve of one of the cylinders is again opened to allow the spent gases above the fresh mixture of air and gas to be discharged as the piston descends; but in the other cylinder the gases are compressed as soon as the crank turns the center and commences to descend. There is a minus pressure in one cylinder as soon as the piston commences to ascend that causes the igniting-flame to be drawn into the gases by the opening of a tubular slide, and almost instantly a communication is opened between the two cylinders, and the gases under pressure are ignited and exert a powerful force in rotating the crank-shaft and fly-wheel.

By this improvement I am enabled to gain advantage from the use of explosive gas under pressure, and at the same time provide for igniting the gas when under a minus pressure. The one cylinder of the gas-engine has the air and gas inlet valve and the igniting device, and in itself operates similarly to gas-engines before made by me, and by the addition thereto of a second cylinder the air and gas are supplied thereto without requiring a second valve, and the air and gases therein being under pressure when exploded act much more efficiently than in the cylinder where the air and gases are under a minus pressure, and the explosion is effected with unerring certainty in the second cylinder by the communication being opened to the first cylinder after the gases therein have been ignited. I

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation, partially in section, of my improved engine. Fig. 2 is an elevation of one cylinder, the shaft and connections being in section at the line a: Fig. 3 is a plan view below the line yy. Fig. I is an elevation, in larger size, of one cylinder and the igniting device and a section of the valve. Fig. 5 is a section at the line 2 .2', Fig. 4 and Fig. 6 is a vertical section at the line to w.

The two cylinders A and B are of suitable size, and usually they are surrounded by a water-jacket, through which water is caused to circulate to cool such cylinders. The pistons Ct Z) and rods or connections to the cranks C D upon the shaft F are of ordinary construction. The crank 0, however, is slightly in advance of the crank D, about forty degrees. The flywheel E and pulley G are upon the shaft F, as usual. To the cylinder A there a discharge-pipe and valve,

3, that is opened by a lever, 4, rod 5, and cam 6, there being a spring, '7, to close the valve, and this cam 0 properly shaped to open the valve 3 as the piston to reaches the top of its stroke, and to keep the said valve open until the piston descends to the bottom of its stroke, and this operation isperformed on each downstroke of the piston a. The piston a, however, does not reach the bottom of the cylinder A, there being a space below the valve 3 and discharge-pipe. 5

The cylinder B is fitted with a similar dis- I charge-pipe and valve, 10, which is opened by a lever, 11, red 12, and cam 13; but this cam 13 is rotated by the pinion it and gear-wheel 15, so that it revolves once for every two revolutions of the shaft F, and the cam 13 is so shaped that it opens the valve 10 as the piston B reaches the top of its stroke and holds the same open as the piston descends; but the valve 10 is allowed to remain closed during the next ascent and descent and the second ascent of the piston b.

The gas is admitted by a pipe, K, in a regulated quantity by a cook or valve, and the air passes in by the pipe L. These pipes I00 come in at opposite sides of the valve-chain ber .M, that is connected. by the pipes 20 and 21 to the cylinders A and B, respectively. WVithin' the valve-chamber M is the valve N, having a rod, 23, to a crank, 24, upon the gear-wheel 25, that is driven by the pinion 26 on the shaft F, the wheel being twice the size of the pinion 26, so that the valve N makes one complete stroke every two revolutions of the shaft F, and there are ports or openings through the valve N, as at 30 and 3], said valve N being tubular.

At there is a jet or gas flame that burns within the tubular cut-off 41, there being a hole through the cut-off and through the case 42 containing the cut-01f, so that when this cut-off is in the proper position the flame from the jet 40 will be. drawn through the hole into the pipe 20 to ignite the gases, and this cutoff 41 is raised by the spring 44:, and it is pressed down at the proper time by a rod, 45, and cam 46, which cam 46 is upon the same shaft as the gear-wheel 25, so as to be revolved once for every two revolutions of the shaft F.

Upon reference to Fig. (3 it will be seen that the opening for the admission of air is not closed by the movement of the cut-off 41, but the flame is only allowed to pass in through the hole 48, when the cut-off is pressed downwardly.

Upon reference to Fig. 4 it will be seen that when the valve N is raised the ports in the same coincide with the ports leading to the pipes 20 and 21, and also to the gas and air ports, so that air and gas can be drawn in through such valve N and commingle with each other and pass laterally through the pipes 20 and 21 into the respective cylinders A and B. This takes place during the upstroke of the respective pistons every second stroke, but the previous downstroke of the respective pistons had been made while the valves 3 and 10 were open; hence the gases that had been exploded within the cylinders A and B were forced out of such cylinders by the descent of the respective pistons, but the spent gases remained in the pipes 20 and 21 and in the cylinders below the pistons and the respective discharge-valves, and the parts are timed' so that such valves 3 and 10 are closed before the pistons commence to rise; hence the gases and air are drawn in freely through the respective ports 50 31 52 in the cylinder N. As soon as the respective cranks turn their upward centers and the pistons commence to descend, the valve N closes both the air and gas inlets and also closes the communication between the pipes 20 and 21, and the valve 10 remains closed, but the valve 3 is again opened. as the piston descends. The fresh gases and the spent gases in the cylinder B are compressed, but in the cylinder A the spent gases above the fresh air and gases are allowed to escape by the valve The mo ment the crank 0 turns its lower center and commences to rise, so that there is a slight minus pressure in the cylinder A, (the valve 3 having been closed,) theiguitoretl is moved,

so that the hole 48 therein corresponds to the opening in the pipe 20, and the flame from the burner 40 is drawn into the gases and ignites the same. The 'ignitor 41 instantly again closes this opening and the movement of the valve N brings the ports 30 into line with the ports leading to the pipes 20 and 21; hence the gases equalize in pressure in the two cylinders A and B, and the ignition and explosion of such gases ar e instantaneous and uniform, the crank D having previously turned its center, so that both pistons a and b are driven upwardly by the powerful force of the explosion and act to give accelerated velocity to the fly-wheel E, so that the momentum thereof may not be impaired by the subsequent movement given to the respective pistons in forcing out the spent gases and in compressing the gas in the cylinder B. If a second or third compression gas-cylinder B is made use of, the same may be connected to the one minus pressure gascylinder, so as to be supplied with the gas and'exploded by the flame of the first cylinder in the same manner as the cylinder B.

I have found by experiment that the air and gases admitted and exploded in the manner before described are much more effective in developing power than the same quantity of gas employed in the ordinary single or double acting gas-engine, because .I am enabled to avail of the displacement in the cylinder B of the spent gases and thereby compress the fresh air and gas in such cylinder instead of requiring the minus pressure in both the cylinders for permitting the flame from the burner to be drawn into such gases for exploding the same; and the two cylinders act in conjunction because both pistons rise at the same time and are acted upon by a nearly uniform pressure resultingfrom the explosion of the gases, while there is a free communication through the valve N between the two cylinders.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, in a gas-engine with the separate cylinders and an ignitor, of a valve having ports for admitting gas and air, and pipes connecting said valve with each of the cylinders and forming a passage-way between the two cylinders, whereby the ignited gases of one cylinder can ignite the gases of the other cylinder, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the two cylinders, pistons, connecting-rods, cranks, and shaft in a gas-engine, of two discharge-valves, one to each cylinder, and mechanism for opening one of the valves during each descent of the piston, and mechanism for opening the other valve during every second descent of its piston, the pipe connecting the two cylinders, air and gas inlet pipes, and a valve at the junction of such pipes, and an ignitor, and mechanism for moving the same, whereby the gases in one cylinder are compressed before being ignited, and in the other cylinder there is a minus pressure for drawing in the flame, substantially as set forth.

The combination, with the cylinders A and B and the connecting-pipes 20 and 21, of the valve N and valve-case M and air-inlet and gas pipes, such valve N having ports that admit the air and gas to pass in and to commingle and to pass to the respective cylinders, and a second set of ports to allow the ignited gases in one cylinder to ignite the gases in the other cylinder, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, in a gas-engine, with the cylinder and air and gas inlet valve, of a case having ports and a stationary burner, a tubular cut-0ft or ignitor having ports and adapted to form a chimney for the burner, and mechanism, substantially as specified, for

Signed by me this 25th day of January, 30

SAMUEL LAWSON.

\Vitnesses: v

GEO. T. PINOKNEY, WILLIAM G. Morr. 

